Reflecting on four years of work on a
local weekly paper, it occurred to me I'd actually achieved quite a
bit.
In that time I've managed to speak to
quite a few people I never would have expected to see in person, let
alone sit down and have a chat with.
Of course my passion is sport. Having a
V8 Supercar team here in town certainly helped that cause, and
created some sporting memories I'll never forget.
I remember following the Brad Jones
Racing team - back in the Ford days - (I've always been a Ford man) and
Jason Bright was one of my favourite drivers when he was punting the
Blue Oval around the track. 
Then all of a sudden there I was,
sitting in the Brad Jones Racing board room having a chat to Brighty.
It might not seem like a big deal to some, but I had only been in the
media industry for five minutes really, so to me, it was huge!
I also managed to catch up with Jason
Richards a couple of times over the phone, before his sad, untimely
death.
I could feel the passion in his voice,
the desire to take the team as high as he physically could, and I
have no doubt, given the chance, he certainly would have succeeded.
I watched at Winton from the Jones
garage as Bright sliced his way through the field to finish top of
the podium, and noted the pride displayed by a then ailing Richards,
seeing his car take the honours.
After the race I managed to sneak up
the track with the team to catch an amazing moment close up of
Richards and Bright, and proudly ran it front page.
While I've spoken to many people over
the years, that was certainly one moment that will always stand out.
